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NCT Number: NCT06596824

Personalized Digital Training Intervention to Reduce Inflammation by Correcting Pathological Movement Patterns in Pre-stage Knee Osteoarthritis After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a condition that causes pain and stiffness in the joints, often due to injuries like torn ligaments. Even after surgery, these injuries can lead to long-term joint problems. Current treatments don't fully prevent OA from developing. This study is testing a new 12-week exercise program designed to improve how the knee moves, using a special sensor-based system. The goal is to reduce joint inflammation and prevent the development of OA in patients who have had knee surgery.

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Key information

Age range

18 year–50 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany

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Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Signed written informed consent
  • Adult subjects between 18 to 50 years old at the time of screening
  • Primary ACL reconstruction within a maximum of 6 months after a unilateral ACL injury
  • Complete baseline assessment between 8 and 12 weeks after ACL reconstruction

Exclusion criteria

  • Significant trauma to a weight-bearing joint within 12 months prior to study initiation (excluding the ACL injury)
  • Previous surgeries on the study knee (except for the ACL reconstruction)
  • Signs of knee OA as defined by the OARSI-Joint Space Narrowing (JSN) Score of two or more (standing AP x-ray)
  • Physical activity level: Tegner activity score before injury of 0-2 (very low activity) or 8-10 (very high activity)
  • Body mass index ≥ 30 kg/m2;
  • Inflammatory arthropathies;
  • Immunosuppression due to illness or medication;
  • Sepsis or hemostasis disorders;
  • Severe uncontrolled inflammatory disease or autoimmune disease (e.g., ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, etc.);
  • Having malignancy and undergoing treatment including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or immunotherapy;
  • Contraindications for MRI, including pacemakers, defibrillators, metal implants, pregnancy, sensorineural hearing loss above 30 dB, tinnitus and claustrophobia
  • Unable to freely give their informed consent (e.g., individuals under legal guardianship).
  • Currently enrolled in or has not yet completed a period of at least 5 times as the half-life time of the drug used in the previous trial since ending other investigational device or drug trial(s)
  • Patients who are dependent on the sponsor, investigator, or study site;
  • Pregnant or breast-feeding women or women of childbearing potential not protected by an effective contraceptive method of birth control (defined as pearl index < 1);
  • Any form of substance abuse, psychiatric disorder, or other condition that, in the opinion of the Investigator, may invalidate communication with the Investigator and/or designated study personnel;
  • Patients who are committed to an institution by virtue of an order issued by either the judicial or the administrative authorities;

Treatment and study plan

Training intervention

Behavioral

Personalized digital training intervention aims to correct pathological knee movement and loading patterns and reduce inflammation in pre-stage knee osteoarthritis.

Primary outcomes

  1. Primary Endpoint

    Time frame: at 6-month follow-up visit

    Restoration of normal knee angle and moment patterns during walking at 6-month follow-up (compared to normative data), as determined by a machine learning-derived gait index.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Secondary Endpoint: Cartilage Thickness

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measurement of cartilage thickness, expressed in millimeters (mm), across predefined articular sub-regions of the knee.

  2. Secondary Endpoint: Cartilage Volume

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measurement of cartilage volume, expressed in cubic millimeters (mm³), across predefined articular sub-regions of the knee.

  3. Secondary Endpoint: Cartilage Composition

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measurement of cartilage composition using laminar T2 relaxation time, expressed in milliseconds (ms), reflecting cartilage water content and collagen organization across predefined articular sub-regions of the knee.

  4. Secondary Endpoint: Meniscus Position

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measurement of meniscus extrusion, expressed in millimeters (mm), defined as the distance the meniscus extends beyond the edge of the tibial plateau.

  5. Secondary Endpoint: Hoffa Synovitis

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measurement of Hoffa synovitis, expressed as a signal distribution pattern (dimensionless) within the infrapatellar (Hoffa's fat pad) region.

  6. Secondary Endpoint: Effusion Synovitis

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging measurement of joint effusion and synovitis, expressed as synovial fluid volume in cubic millimeters (mm³).

  7. Secondary Endpoint: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS)

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Semi-quantitative assessment of structural pathology using the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS), where scores range from 0 (no cartilage damage) to 3 (severe cartilage damage), with higher scores indicating greater pathology, across fourteen articular sub-regions.

Other outcomes

  1. Exploratory Endpoint: Biomarkers of Joint Tissue Remodeling

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Circulating and synovial fluid markers of joint tissue remodeling (e.g., CTX-I, CTX-II, PRO-C2, C1M) will be measured using validated immunoassays with detection limits in the nanogram-per-milliliter (ng/mL) range.

  2. Exploratory Endpoint: Inflammatory Cytokines

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Plasma or serum concentrations of inflammatory cytokines and soluble mediators (e.g., TNF-α, G-CSF, IFN-γ, IL-6) will be determined using validated multiplex immunoassays with detection limits in the picogramm-per-milliliter (pg/mL) range.

  3. Exploratory Endpoint: Cellular Biomarkers

    Time frame: Baseline, 6, and 36 months follow-up visits

    Immune cell subpopulations in peripheral blood and synovial fluid are analyzed by standardized multiparameter flow cytometry for basic phenotyping of T cells, B cells and myeloid cell populations and reported either as absolute or relative cell count.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Winkler, Prof. Dr.med.

CONTACT

[email protected]

+49 30 450 559084

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Charite University, Berlin, Germany

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Personalized Digital Training Intervention to Reduce Inflammation by Correcting Pathological Movement Patterns in Pre-stage Knee Osteoarthritis (OA)

Acronym: PROTO-WP4

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2027
First posted
Sep 19, 2024
Registry last updated
Mar 2, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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